wassup with lesmond j

October 28, 2011

Chances are if you've ever fallen off a bike you will remember this painful memory long after the fact.

I carry a scar on my knee from when I was 8 years old and fell off onto the metal road.

Having ridden bikes all my life I count myself a fairly good cyclist. I hadn't fallen off for aaaaaaaaaaaaaages....

until I got a bike with clipless pedals (a misnomer - as you actually clip into these with cleats on the bottom of those flash shoes).

Once 'clipped' in you have to twist your heel outwards to unclip. I was determined not to fall off and it was going so well.

I'd just come back from a ride, glided into my driveway having unclipped my right foot already, and attempted to get off to the left...

oops...CRASH!

Having raced down Hatea drive I didn't want to unclip and stop at lights so I turned left onto Riverside drive and then cut right across the median strip with (luckily) soft tufts of grass and fell splat into the grasses (in front of lots of traffic).

Today I finished work and was waiting to turn right but the constant traffic had me change my mind...too bad it was dulled by the arduous days work and I failed to realise that my left foot was clipped in and I literally did the splits whilst falling and trying to regain my balance.